When Change Is Needed
by CrashGuy01
Summary: Rosalina has always relied on her Final Smash, Power Star, to deal with her opponents in battle. But a decisive loss to Cloud in the final round of the latest Smash tournament has got Rosalina thinking...was it worth it to change her Final Smash to something more powerful? Story request for Barbacar.
1. Chapter 1

_This is a story request for Barbacar, but you probably read that already in the summary (which I hope you did). Enjoy!_

* * *

Smashville. Two stocks. Six minutes. And two competitors duking it out to see who comes out on top.

That was how most competitive Smash matches went. It was always the same stages - Battlefield, Final Destination, and Smashville. No hazards to screw you over, no alterations to the stage layout - just nothing but two brawlers competing against one another to accrue a win.

I was one of the brawlers, 55 in total (63 if you wish to include Alph and the Koopalings), and I was participating in a tournament, watched by many spectators from around the world. If I win, I would receive a taste of glory, and become anointed in the tradition of winning like all the other winners that came before me. But if I lose, then I would have to suffer with shame and sorrow for an indefinite amount of time.

And here I was, in the thick of things in the final round of the tournament, only one win away from earning the tournament crown. My opponent?

 _Cloud Strife._

Now compared to the opponents I've faced in the previous rounds - Falco, King Dedede, Marth, and Olimar, in that order - Cloud wasn't the easiest fighter to go up against, what with his Limit Break and that Buster Sword of his. Granted he was no Bayonetta (and don't even get me started on her...), but Cloud was still an opponent brawlers a many had trouble taking down. And today it seemed like I was about to join those brawlers, after Cloud took my first stock.

After I lost my stock, Cloud and I were both tied at one stock apiece, and it seemed like Cloud was absolutely winded. If he made one little mistake, I could very well punish him, and take away his stock and accrue victory. But Cloud was hardly accustomed to making mistakes, which made KO'ing him all the more difficult.

Cloud suddenly went into attack mode moments after I respawned. He attacked me with a tilts, smashes, aerial attacks, and some special attacks as well - thank goodness he only had to use his Limit Break to recover, otherwise I would've been in some deep trouble!

Unfortunately my dear Luma couldn't take the beating Cloud handed to us, and was knocked out faster than usual. I was left all alone until another Luma respawned, which meant I had to buy some time until another Luma appeared. With Cloud getting all revved up, it almost seemed like game over for me...

...until a Smash Ball appeared on the stage. Smash Balls were originally banned from the tournament by Master Hand, but were brought back because Pit constantly complained to Master Hand about how he kept losing his matches, and that he needed a Final Smash in order to win. Poor little Pit can't simply win on his own...how utterly pathetic.

However, if I needed to win against Cloud, then I need to get that Smash Ball and gain my Final Smash, and use my Power Star to knock Cloud off the stage. Cloud was on the verge of getting knocked out, and it would take forever for another Luma to appear...securing that Smash Ball was the only chance I had at winning.

Using the floating platform on the stage as leverage, I jumped for the Smash Ball as it bounced around in the sky, away from my grasp. Just when I made yet another jump, propelling myself towards the Smash Ball...Cloud got to the Smash Ball before I did, slashing the ball with his Buster Sword, and that's when I knew it was all over...

I tried my best to get away from Cloud, but it was no use...Cloud had lined me up, and unleashed his Omnislash on poor little me, sending me into the air and slashing me with his blade multiple times, before dealing the final blow as he sent me back down to the stage, emitting a large explosion powerful enough to send me flying away.

And just like that, I lost my second and final stock.

Game, set, match.

The winner of the match...Cloud Strife.

And the winner of the tournament?

 _Cloud Strife._

* * *

Following the match, I returned to the main lobby, where my fellow brawlers were. They all watched the final match of the tournament on the television screens, and once I stepped foot in that lobby, everyone turned around and saw me, and gave me a round of applause. Everyone was clapping for me - even the villainous trio of Bowser, Ganondorf, and King Dedede. Even though I had lost, it was still quite remarkable to be greeted with such a warm reception.

"Nice effort out there Rosalina, you did very well in a losing effort!" commended Ness, giving me a resounding thumbs up.

"You nearly had Cloud on the ropes - hardly anyone ever comes close to beating the guy, and you could have beaten him!" remarked Yoshi. "And for that, my respect for you has reached levels never before seen!"

"Look on the bright side, at least you didn't get footstooled like Diddy Kong did!" added Sonic, bringing some irrelevant piece of information to the conversation. "You should have seen the look on Diddy's face when I footstooled him, that was perhaps the greatest win I've had so far!" Thanks for sharing that with us, Sonic...

Then in came the victor, the winner of the tournament...Cloud Strife. The swordsman walked into the lobby, greeted by a thunderous wave of applause and cheers by the brawlers, and the ever aloof and apathetic swordsman just walked past everyone, seemingly unfazed by all the praise heaped upon him, when Master Hand stopped him in his tracks.

"Congratulations on winning the tournament Cloud, you had a great performance!" the giant hand commended Cloud for his efforts. I suppose I didn't have a great performance, considering I came in second place and all. "One of the finest performances I've seen in recent memory. Really impressed a lot of folks out there. And to commemorate your tournament win...here's your trophy!"

Master Hand would hold out his hand, revealing a trophy with the Smash logo on it. As stated earlier, Cloud was apathetic, so he didn't care one bit about his trophy. Come to think of it, I don't think Cloud didn't even care about winning the tournament as well - why he was even a participant remained a mystery.

"Uh, thanks Master Hand, don't really need a trophy," said Cloud as he walked away, heading off to who-knows-where. "Just glad that I won the whole tournament and all, and the other competitors did great too." So Cloud cared about winning...huh, guess he wasn't as apathetic as I imagined him to be.

* * *

I would return to the Comet Observatory after the tournament, thinking over the progress I've made in the tournament, and my match with Cloud. I mused over Cloud taking my first stock, and how he was able to take my second stock with just his Final Smash...

...and that's when it hit me. Maybe a change was needed. Maybe I needed something new. Maybe Cloud had something that I didn't, something that helped him accrue victory and win the tournament.

Maybe...maybe I needed a new Final Smash. One just as powerful as Cloud's.

Sure, my Power Star can get the job done, but isn't as strong compared to Cloud's Omnislash (unless you find yourself stuck in the star, that is).

Perhaps a new Final Smash was in order - one that could deal a finishing blow to any brawler, regardless of strength and power, I go up against...

...like Cloud Strife, for instance.


	2. Chapter 2

I figured that if I were to change my Final Smash, then I would need to ask my fellow brawlers and receive their input about what I should do. This was something that I simply couldn't do on my own, just by myself - changing my Final Smash would have to be an effort required from everyone.

So what did I do, you might ask? I went about asking members of the original twelve - Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong, Link, Yoshi, Samus, Captain Falcon, Fox, and Ness - about what I should do, since I couldn't rely on my precious Lumas. They were always nice and non-critical, almost to the point where they were overtly politically correct (in a really bad way), so their input probably wouldn't be of any use.

Obviously I couldn't ask Pikachu, Kirby, or Jigglypuff for advice, since they were creatures incapable of speech. All I would ever get would be a "Pika pika!" from Pikachu, "Poyo!" from Kirby, or "Jigglypuff!" from, well, Jigglypuff. Also, Jigglypuff would probably put me to sleep with her singing, so I should just avoid her at all costs.

The first person I considered asking for advice was Ness. Ness was what you might consider a caricature of the all-American boy - very respectful, wears a baseball cap, hails from a somewhat generic city, and is a child at heart. But what separated Ness from other boys was his ability to use PSI moves - such as PK Starstorm. I traveled to Onett, the hometown of Ness, to speak with Ness and ask him one question in mind - what made his PK Starstorm so powerful?

I knocked on the front door of Ness' home, and was greeted by Ness's loving mother, who was holding a frying pan in her hand. Must be cooking dinner - hopefully I didn't distract her from her work.

"Hello there, the name's Rosalina - I'm one of the brawlers your son Ness fights with in the Smash tournaments," I introduced myself to Ness's mother, as a strong scent of food would slowly make its way out of the open front door and to my nostrils. Yup, Ness's mother must be definitely cooking something... "May I speak with Ness for a quick minute? It won't be long."

"Ah yes, Rosalina, my son has been telling all sorts of stories about you!" exclaimed Ness's mother, so overjoyed she could drop her frying pan at any minute. "So nice to finally meet you in person! You're more than welcome to come inside - Ness is upstairs in his room."

So I followed Ness's mother inside the home, and would make my way up the stairs and to Ness's room. Once I opened the door to the room and took a peek inside, I saw Ness sitting on his bed, playing with a baseball in his hand. Just as I figured. The young teen (yes, Ness is a teen, hard to believe given how small and child-like he appeared to be) looked up and saw my face, just behind his bedroom door.

"Hiya Rosalina, funny seeing you in town," greeted Ness, giving me the cue to enter his room. Ness's room looked pretty basic - a bed, a dresser, a chair in the far corner, a lamp, and a table. Only thing missing would probably be a gaming system. "How have you been? Have you gotten over your loss in the tournament?"

"I have been doing swell, thank you for asking," I replied, closing the door behind me before taking a seat on his bed. "And yes, I have gotten over my loss, I can't allow my defeat to throw me off - sometimes, you gotta move on. Speaking of the tournament, I came here to ask you a question...how did you acquire your Final Smash, PK Starstorm?"

I could tell Ness was initially thrown off by this question, for no one has ever asked him how he got his Final Smash in the first place. We just knew when to get out of the way of PK Starstorm whenever the PSI whiz had the Smash Ball in his possession.

"Since you're so curious, I'll just tell you..." answered Ness, scratching the back of his head. "I learned it PK Starstorm in secret from my good friend Poo, who originally learned the move himself. Poo's a crown prince from an eastern country called Dalaam, in case you may be wondering. So why did you bother asking me that?"

"Because...because I've been contemplating about changing my Final Smash," I answered, leaving Ness in shock. He couldn't believe the decision I was making, his face made it seem like I was doing something completely immoral and wrong. "I just want it to be stronger, that's all...hey, since your Final Smash has much to do with stars, like mine...perhaps your friend can teach me how to wield a new Final Smash?"

"Uh, quite frankly, I don't think that would be possible. I mean, it could work, but I don't know if Poo would be interested in...teaching you." Hope the age gap wasn't a factor; certainly I'm not that old. Poo wouldn't mind teaching an adult...right? "But I can always ask the guy, I suppose."

"Okay then, that's fine with me," I replied, getting off the bed and making my way towards the bedroom door. "I'll speak with you later, Ness." Ness waved to me as I exited his room.

Having a friend of Ness teach me a Final Smash might not be a feasible choice, but it could possibly be the only choice at my disposal.

* * *

The next person I decided to speak with was Captain Falcon, and I would find the racer training at some gym, running away on a treadmill at breakneck speed. Coincidentally, I would also find Fox at the gym; seemed like both he and Falcon were having some kind of race on the treadmills. Surely Sonic, the fastest thing alive, would best the both of them.

"Wanting to change your Final Smash, eh?" said Captain Falcon, after I told him and Fox about my little dilemma. They were less shocked than Ness when I told them...not sure if that was a resounding positive. "Thought you would keep your Power Star forever, but I suppose a change for you is fine...as long a good result comes out of it."

"Have you considered using your Comet Observatory as your Final Smash?" Fox asked me, running away on the treadmill like he was trying to outdo Sonic as the fastest thing alive. I have considered some thought about incorporating the Comet Observatory, but I'm afraid that it might be...to big, especially compared to several _Smash_ stages, at least.

"Eh, I would, but at the same time, I'm not quite so sure. I just want to win against my opponents, not outright kill them with just one move!" Would killing a brawler grant you a lifetime ban from the tournament? I dared not to ponder over this thought, it absolutely wasn't worth any form of experimentation.

"Oh I see...well in that case, have you considered using Mario's Odyssey machine or whatever for your Final Smash?" Fox asked yet again, this time asking about the flying contraption known as the Odyssey. Why Fox even bothered to bring that up, I might never know...

"Shut up Fox, we haven't even gotten that far yet..." Captain Falcon scolded the space pilot, who simply shrugged only to nearly slip on the treadmill in the process. "Personally, Rosalina, I don't think you should bother with some fancy, schamncy contraption as your Final Smash - leave it to guys like Fox and I! Just find something that best suits you, and stick with it."

"Thank you, Falcon...and perhaps you too, Fox...for your help," I thanked the racer and the pilot before making my way to the gym exit. "I should have a new Final Smash soon, and if I do, I will be sure to let you..."

But as I was making my exit, I suddenly bumped into a person I did not expect to see at this gym. This was a person that I hadn't seen since the tournament - rather, this was a person I actually _lost_ to in the tournament.

Yes, I was now looking dead in the eye of the man who defeated me to accrue victory in the Smash tournament...

... _Cloud Strife._

His eyes were interlocked with mine, and they was nothing but silence between the both of us, as we just stared at one another, letting the ever-growing silence speak for us.

"Oh, uh, um, hi Cloud...how are you?" I would ask the swordsman, starting off this conversation on a rather awkward note. Why oh why did Cloud had to show up at this gym, wasn't there any other gym in town?

"I'm doing just fine, how about yourself?" was Cloud's reply. Given his demeanor and ugly past, Cloud wasn't really that much of a strong communicator, which meant that I had to pretty much carry this conversation myself. A conversation that I awkwardly started. Eek.

"Doing great...I take it that you're here to exercise and prepare yourself for the next Smash tournament?" Hopefully Cloud didn't assume that I was here at the gym for exercising myself, since I hardly exercised at all! Exercising just wasn't my thing.

"Yeah, about to do some weight lifting. Today is leg day, so I'll be doing a bunch of leg exercise, build up the strength in my lower body. I'll try and keep my distance from Captain Falcon and Fox over there - sooner or later they're gonna run those treadmills to the ground, to the point where they won't even operate anymore...hey, Rosalina, where's your Luma companion? Forgot to bring one with you?" Now was my time to bail out of the gym...

"Um, oh yes, yes, he's at the Comet Observatory as I speak...they must be worried sick about me. And by they, I mean, all the other Lumas at the Comet Observatory, that's what I meant...see you!"

And just like that, I quickly hightailed out of the gym, not even bothering looking back to see if Cloud had given me a questionable glance. I had to press on forward with the mission at hand, and ask more members of the original twelve.

Truth be told, I didn't wish to speak with Cloud at all, especially at that given moment - though I didn't really had a chance, didn't wish to be rude and ignore Cloud altogether. But my reasons didn't have anything to do with the Smash tournament. That would be petty.

It was just that...I didn't want Cloud to find out about my...insecurities, if you will. Everyone has insecurities, I'm certain, so I don't think I'm any different...


	3. Chapter 3

Continuing on with my little quest of sorts, the next member of the original twelve I decided to ask was the famous space bounty hunter, Samus Aran. Much like Cloud, Samus wasn't exactly the best communicator out there, and like Cloud, she had a terrible past, what with witnessing the death of her parents and all. So much of her disastrous childhood could be a huge factor for the woman she was today.

Ever since that whole Galactic Federation incident years ago, I had no idea what Samus was up to these days outside of the Smash tournament, and I certainly didn't feel like going on a manhunt looking for her. So I would return to the Comet Observatory, and opted to give Samus a call. I had gained the bounty hunter's phone number from Sonic, and inside my library, I was ready to call Samus on a phone Mario had given me a few months ago. Allowed me to give calls to folks from far away, up in space! How neat was that?

After dialing in Samus's phone number, I waited for Samus to answer the call. She might be busy at the moment, so I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't answer at all. I doubt that Samus wouldn't even be open to give a phone call in the first place! Seconds passed, as the dial tone sounded, and then suddenly...

"Hello, who is this?" a voice finally answered, that voice belonging to none other than Samus Aran. She actually answered the call! Judging by the tone of her voice, she sounded very bored, or tired, like she was working tirelessly on some new project; hopefully our call won't be that long, so that Samus can resume whatever she was doing. And as you might infer by her response, Samus didn't have my phone number saved to her device...given that she wasn't the communicative type, I don't think she saved anyone's number at all!

"Oh, hi Samus, it's me, Rosalina," I responded, after my initial state of shock. Gotta make this call short, simple, and to the point. "I hope you've been enjoying yourself since the tournament. Bet you're stoked about the next one to begin!" Ugh, that sounded so dorky. Especially when I was speaking with Samus, who probably didn't tolerate that response. "Anyway, I wanted ask you a quick question, if you don't mind...after my loss to Cloud, I've given thought about changing my Final Smash, and so my question is...what prompted you to use your Zero Laser as your Final Smash?"

Nothing but dead silence from the receiver's end. Silence that lasted almost an eternity, like it could go on forever and ever and never end. At first I assumed Samus was busy taking her time and thinking of an answer, since she loved to think over things, but my assumptions would prove to be entirely wrong once Samus finally ended the eternal silence with this response...

"...goodbye, Rosalina," were the only words the bounty hunter said before hanging up on me. And I was left surprised, for I didn't really expect Samus to answer my call _at all._ So instead of being bitter about how short the call was, I might as well take whatever I could get from Samus. She was kind of introverted, after all.

With my phone call with Samus failing miserably, it was time to set my eyes on another person to ask...a green dinosaur by the name of Yoshi.

* * *

Yoshi happened to live at an island called Yoshi's Island, living with a bunch of other...well, Yoshis, all coming in different colors, like red, yellow, blue, green, so on and so forth. But there was one famous green Yoshi we all knew and love that I was looking for, one that could perhaps give me some advice.

First thing I saw when I arrived at Yoshi's Island was something flying overhead, riding on a broom holding a wand. The individual riding atop this flying broom was a Magikoopa none other than Kamek, Bowser's highest-ranking koopa. Figured I would see his face around these parts, for Kamek always meddled in the affairs of the Yoshis. But was that really Kamek...?

"Yoo hoo, down here!" I called out to the presumed Kamek, who made a U-turn as he flew around and approached me on his broom, lowering himself so he could look at me face to face. Considering that Kamek looked identical to other Magikoopas, I couldn't tell if I was looking at Kamek, or just some ordinary Magikoopa who wandered into Yoshi's Island. "Excuse me Kamek, if that's really your name, but can you lead me to where the Yoshis are?" If this Magikoopa was indeed Kamek, then he would most certainly say yes.

"Whatever you wish, lady - better be glad I specifically came here just to mess with the Yoshis!" responded the Magikoopa. Yup, it was definitely Kamek, could tell just by that answer. Also, it was worth noting that Kamek hardly knew who I was; we only saw each other occasionally on the Mushroom Kingdom U stage. So I can't fault him for not knowing my name that well.

I would follow Kamek throughout Yoshi's Island, walking through the flowers and shrubbery and taking note of how very cheerful this island was, when we finally stumbled upon a crowd of Yoshis, gathering fruit from the trees. Yoshis sure loved to eat fruit.

"Ooh, I see lots and lots of Yoshis present, the more the merrier..." smiled Kamek, as he got his magic wand ready, waving it in the air as it was generating magic. "They're certainly happy now, but they'll be even more happier working for King Bowser!" Obviously I wouldn't let anyone associated with or working under Bowser do anything evil when I was around, so I did what I had to do...

"Um, Kamek, I do think there's a Yoshi right behind you, ripe for the taking..." I alerted the Magikoopa; Kamek would turn around, and did not see any Yoshi present...but he did see my charged-up wand, and I used my wand to send an energy blast towards Kamek, nailing him and sending him flying away as he screamed his lungs out. Good riddance.

With Kamek taken care of, and the Yoshis just up ahead, I approached the peaceful creatures, who had just gathered all the fruit from the trees and were happily eating them in peace. One Yoshi was eating his fruit when he looked up at me, feeling delighted to see my face, and it was the Yoshi I was specifically looking for, the one named...well, Yoshi.

"Howdy Rosalina, long time no see!" Yoshi happily waved to me - long time no see? It's only been a few days since the tournament! "Came here to enjoy some delicious fruit? Saved a batch for any visitors, like yourself!"

"Hello Yoshi, and no, I'm not here to eat any fruit," I smiled. The offer was enticing, I will admit, but I had more serious business to attend to. "I came here needing to ask you a question...how did you choose your Final Smash? I'm only asking this because I've been considering changing my own Final Smash, if it meant winning a Smash tournament."

"Glad you asked, Rosalina - as you might already know, my Final Smash is called Super Dragon, and I acquired this Final Smash by using a flashing shell, which grants me the ability to fly, breathe fire, and cause mini-earthquakes! Then again, I don't have the earthquake ability, so I might have just the Blue Shell, which grants me flight, and the Red Shell, which grants me my fire breath. However, I don't even acquire any shells when I use my Final Smash...so really, I don't know. I'd recommend trying out different shells, see if they give you any abilities. Maybe one day, you could breathe fire, like me!"

"No thank you, I'd rather just throw fireballs instead, no fire breath for me!" At least I already had the ability of flight down pact. "Thank you for your response, Yoshi, I'll see you at the next tournament!" I waved to Yoshi, and Yoshi and his fellow dinosaur brethren would all wave back as I left the premises. It was a good thing I took care of Kamek for Yoshi and his friends, save them a lot of trouble...

* * *

My next destination was the land of Hyrule, the homeland of renowned hero Link. Finding the Hylian was not an easy task; I asked the villagers from Ordon Village about Link, and not a single villager could tell me where Link was. Then I went to Kakariko Village, and asked the villagers there, but I did not receive any information about Link's current whereabouts. After that, I went to Hyrule Town, and received similar responses from the townsfolk.

Figuring that Link was off handling some important business, like perhaps fighting off an entire army of angry Bokoblins, I decided to leave Hyrule for good, but as I was strolling through the Hyrulian fields, I heard the sound of horse hooves, galloping majestically with the wind blowing with some ferocity. I turned around, and would you know it, Link was heading towards me, riding on his horse, before coming to a stop once he caught up to me.

"Easy there Epona, easy there girl!" Link would say to Epona as the horse came to a stop, and after Epona stopped in place, Link hopped down to greet me. He didn't look like he was involved in any sort of battling - must've been practicing his horse riding. Practice makes perfect! "Funny seeing your face in Hyrule, Rosalina. How have you been handling yourself, how are the Lumas?"

"The Lumas and I have been doing just fine, thanks for asking, Link," I replied. Link was always the original swordsman in Smash, and paved the way for other swordsmen, like Marth, Shulk, and even Cloud, so his advice could be pretty substantial. "I've been needing to ask you a question, if you don't mind...what prompted you to use the Triforce in your Final Smash?" While this sounded like a pretty dumb question, it didn't hurt to know...

"Reason behind it is pretty obvious, Rosalina...it's the most powerful thing in all of Hyrule! Created by the three goddesses, during the creation of Hyrule, and contains the Triforce of Power, the Triforce of Wisdom, and the Triforce of Courage! It is the ultimate source of power, I tell you!" Link was lecturing me like I was a student, devoid of intelligence...I didn't make him angry, did I? "What, you want the Triforce for yourself or something, is that why you came here?!"

"No, no, not at all, I was just asking about the Triforce because of how you use it in your Final Smash...and I wish to change my Final Smash." Now learning this, Link cooled off, less agitated than before. I should have mentioned that I was changing my Final Smash beforehand, would have saved me from a needless history lesson.

"Changing your Final Smash, eh? It's not because you lost to Cloud in the tournament, is it?" Link had me stumped, and I was ready to retort, but Link would beat me to the punch before I could open my mouth. "Hey, if that's the case, then I support your decision fully - Cloud has always been at the top of the game, and if you wanna beat the best, then you gotta change things up. That's the name of the game. If you do change your Final Smash, make it epic - use something even more powerful than your Power Star, something that will decimate the competition!"

"Thanks for the advice Link, I shall definitely take your advice to heart. I should be going now, got a few more individuals I need to ask before I come to a final decision. But thanks again!" Link nodded, as he hopped on Epona, and rode off into the sunset...if there was a sunset.

Sometimes it was great having friends who understand your situations...it just made everything so much easier.


	4. Chapter 4

There were three members of the original twelve left for me to speak with, and they were quite a famous threesome - Mario, Luigi, and Donkey Kong. Those three have been around for a very long time, and with that came wisdom and advice that could be passed on to others. If I were to change my Final Smash, I would require wisdom and advice from the three, and then make my decision.

So I traveled to a jungle in an unknown location, in search for the gorilla known as Donkey Kong. I figured that he would be in the jungle scouring for bananas, so instead of heading to DK's hut, I decided to take a little trek around the jungle, to see if I could find Donkey Kong anywhere. Would have helped if I asked Diddy Kong about his uncle's whereabouts...I would ask Cranky Kong, but he would bonk me on the head with that cane of his.

"Donkey Kong, where are you?" I called out to the gorilla, traversing through the jungle and watching my every step. There were many creatures abound in the jungle, and I know from experience - I've raced in this jungle plenty of times whenever we had the Flower Cup. Should have brought a Luma with me to keep me company...

Suddenly, a large figure came flying by, its shadow flying over me. I turned around, but nothing was there...so I cautiously marched on, paying special attention to my surroundings, until a large, furry figure hopped down from the trees, frightening me enough to make me scream in terror. Thankfully, it was only Donkey Kong, carrying a bunch of bananas in his arms.

"It's too dangerous to go alone in places like these!" said Donkey Kong, reminding me of the old man that gave Link (or at least that incarnation of Link, given the amount of Link incarnations over time) the Master Sword. Was Donkey Kong going to give me a sword to wield? That would be an interesting weapon to use for a new Final Smash. "Do you not know the dangers and hazards afoot in this jungle? I shake my head..."

"So sorry DK, it's just that I've been busy looking for you, and I guess I didn't look out for myself...that much," I apologized, although it wasn't that sincere of an apology. I just didn't want Donkey Kong to be so angry with me. "I just wanted to ask you a question, if you don't mind."

"Obviously this isn't the best place for asking questions...why don't we head to my place, and you can tell me what's on your mind?"

* * *

So Donkey Kong would take me to his hut, and just as I figured, I saw a large stockpile of bananas - no, wait, _two_ stockpiles of bananas, all ready for Donkey Kong to devour them. Or maybe DK collects bananas just for the sake of collecting bananas. Who knows.

Blasting his hip hop music from a boombox in the hut was Donkey Kong's spidermonkey nephew Diddy Kong, who has been one of the best Smash competitors for quite some time now. Diddy always dominated the tier lists, and reigned supreme until Bayonetta's reign of terror began. Diddy's music was too loud, and so Donkey Kong had to tell him to take his boombox and leave, so that our conversation would go without interruption. Donkey Kong and I both sat in rocking chairs, and Donkey Kong was just dying to hear the question I was going to ask him...

"Do you think I should change my Final Smash?" I asked DK, who made a face that suggested that he was a bit skeptical about my situation. "Now hear me out - I've been thinking that ever since Master Hand instituted the use of Final Smashes in the tournaments, I could perhaps improve my chances of winning Smash tournaments if I had a stronger Final Smash...are you catching my drift?"

"While I understand where you're coming from Rosalina, you're already a high-tier competitor, thanks in part to having Luma as your fighting companion. You wouldn't need a Final Smash as much as Pit does - that kid practically CRIED to Master Hand begging for Final Smashes to be instituted! Can't even win with skill and strategy, how sad..."

"Yes, yes, that is true, but it seems like everyone has a strong, powerful Final Smash. Ganondorf, Little Mac, Mega Man, the list goes on!" Granted, not everyone had a strong Final Smash, but I was just trying to prove a point here, no matter how weak it was. "I know I'm already a capable fighter, but a stronger, more improved Final Smash would really be the icing on the cake for me."

"This decision you're making certainly has nothing to do with the L you took to Cloud in the tournament finals, is it?" First Link, and now Donkey Kong...okay, losing to Cloud is the reason why I'm considering changing my Final Smash, I will admit, but it's not the ONLY reason - there's other reasons that I refuse to delve into.

"No, not by any means...I just, I just want to equal the playing field. If I really want to be viewed as one of the best, then I would have to look as strong as the best smashers out there - and a new Final Smash would be a great way to accomplish my goals."

"Oh, okay, just making sure, thought you were being just a sore loser and wanted to be better than Cloud. Nobody has what it takes to being better than that guy...well, Bayonetta has a very good case. Her combos are out of this world!" Those combos were already giving me nightmares... "I could give you some advice on choosing a new Final Smash if you like...don't pick a stationary one, like the Final Smash I have. Your Power Star is pretty stationary, isn't it? I think you would look nice with a Final Smash in which you could move around and wreck the competition. Like Sonic's Final Smash, for instance. Just don't copy Sonic's Final Smash, and you'll be all good..."

"Heh, if I did copy from Sonic, I may never hear the end of it," I smiled; Sonic was already a bit of a pompous jerk, but just imagine how he would be if he found out a fellow brawler was copying from him...constant complaining, on a daily basis. I don't think I - or anyone else, for that matter - would put up with that. "Thank you for this conversation Donkey Kong, I should be going now." Only one more stop to go...

...and that stop was in the Mushroom Kingdom.

* * *

Quite frankly, this was my first time ever going to Mario's house. I never thought the plumber had a house to begin with - always thought he was never home, always going out on a new adventure of sorts - but as it turned out, Mario happened to live in the same household as his brother Luigi. Those two brothers can be so inseparable at times.

I would arrive at Mario's household, and knocked on the door...but nobody would answer. Mario nor Luigi didn't own a car, so I couldn't tell if anyone was home by looking at the driveway...then again, Mario didn't have a driveway to begin with. Mario and Luigi certainly did a lot of their traveling on foot.

As I looked through the windows, to check if anyone was home, I saw Luigi's ghost-catching device, the Poltergust 3000, lying on the living room sofa. Luigi, who used this device for catching ghosts, also used it as his Final Smash. His previous Final Smash was the Negative Zone - a powerful move that had no official origin, Luigi just...kind of had it.

Just looking at the Poltergust 3000 led me to thinking...what possibly convinced Luigi to change his Final Smash? Why not ask Luigi...and several other brawlers who've changed their Final Smash as well?

Wouldn't hurt to receive further input from my fellow competitors...their advice is as good as anything, and I have to use their advice _very_ wisely.


	5. Author's Note

_Greetings everyone. Just wanted to announce some rather unfortunate news...I will be discontinuing this story._

 _Due to multiple cases of writer's block, and the person who requested this story, Barbacar, losing interest in this fanfic, I've decided to put an end to this story after four chapters._

 _This might not have been the easiest decision for me, but I believed that it was for the best._


End file.
